News
| September 12, 2019

State College, PA - Remcom announces participation in a whitepaper report on 5G millimeter wave (mmWave) frequencies and mobile networks recently published by The International Wireless Industry Consortium (IWPC).

Recent 5G standards have set forth goals that include the ability to accommodate growing numbers of users, higher data rates, lower latency, and prolonged device battery life, among others. The use of mmWave frequency bands is one proposed technology to support the more robust mobile networks that will be required to meet these demands; however, there are challenges that must be explored for this new use case, particularly for handheld device applications. Drawing on expertise from participants at 14 technology leaders in the wireless industry, including carriers, operators, device manufacturers, and providers of wireless simulation tools, IWPC sought to create a comprehensive report that identifies the key features, obstacles, and potential solutions for deployment of mmWave for 5G.

As an active member of the IWPC, Remcom has performed simulation-based studies and presented papers on 5G challenges and opportunities within the IWPC and other forums. Remcom’s contributions to the whitepaper included its expertise in wireless propagation and electromagnetic simulation, as well as its suite of software tools for simulating 5G deployment and analyzing throughput in a complex downtown urban scenario.

Using Wireless InSite® 3D Wireless Prediction Software, Remcom analyzed SINR and throughput for a 5G deployment in a dense urban scene. Wireless InSite’s ray-tracing model was used to analyze signal propagation at 28 GHz as well as a mid-band sub-6 GHz frequency, comparing losses from multipath and shadowing from structures, penetration through foliage, and differences in path loss and atmospheric attenuation. Massive MIMO antennas were used at both frequency bands, with reasonable assumptions applied at each band regarding the carrier bandwidths, numbers of antenna elements, spatial multiplexing, and modulation and coding schemes for uplink and downlink. Base stations at the two bands were co-sited in order to establish a baseline of additional base stations that would be required to achieve comparable coverage at 28 GHz. Remcom then applied MIMO beamforming techniques and performed throughput analysis, comparing uplink and downlink coverage results for mmWave versus the sub-6 GHz band and using these comparisons to inform the discussion on potential requirements for mmWave deployment.

Greg Skidmore, director of propagation software and government services at Remcom, said, “Our team is honored to have had the opportunity to contribute our expertise and software capabilities to such a thorough study on challenges and key technologies for deployment of mmWave frequencies in 5G New Radio. It is notable that in the coverage analysis portion of the study, work performed by Remcom and other contributing companies produced consistent results regarding coverage and the increased density of base stations required for downlink and uplink, which strengthened the discussion and conclusions around these important issues. We hope that this report is beneficial to the industry as we jointly work toward new technology solutions in mmWave bands.”

Graham Carter, technical consultant at IWPC, said, “Since the beginning of the 5G era, there has been much excitement and expectation around use of mmWave bands within the global cellular community; however, there has also been a great deal of misunderstanding and misinterpretation regarding what these ultra-high frequencies can deliver and what use cases can be supported. This study provides an honest and factual perspective on the propagation characteristics, opportunities and challenges. I would like to thank Remcom and the other IWPC working group members for their support and considerable contributions towards this comprehensive study.”